Supporting My Sweet Dad (Big Dave)
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Hi everyone,
After talking with the family, we agreed that it’s appropriate for me to give an update to everyone on the status of my sweet sweet Dad, aka BIG DAVE.
As many of you know, my Dad has been through hell and back these past few years. His health began to decline in 2015, when he underwent a triple-bypass. With barely any time to recover, he was diagnosed with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma last December. The doctors removed 1/3 of his left lung hoping to remove all of the cancerous cells. Although the procedure was successful, the doctors warned us of the high probability that the cancer may return. In response, my Dad opted to try chemotherapy. As most of you know, chemotherapy is the devils drug. And so, not surprisingly, one round of it nearly killed him in his fragile state. At that point, he made the very difficult and heartbreaking decision to discontinue the chemotherapy treatments.
Unfortunately, my Dad experienced signs and symptoms that the cancer was back many months ago; however, knowing him, he did not want to make a fuss or worry my family and I. As a result, we were completely unaware of the severity. My father has always protected my brother and I, which is why I believe he chose to keep this secret from us for so long. In any event, just last week I received a phone call that no child should ever have to—the dreaded phone call that he was sick again. This time, things progressed rapidly. My Dad lost a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time. He completely lost his appetite, experienced exhaustion, loss of hearing, and pain in his chest, abdomen, and esophagus. He also had trouble swallowing because of the discomfort in his throat. Even more concerning was his mental state. He seemed confused, had slurred speech, and other neurological side effects.
So, I rushed home to Maine to be by his side. Just when I thought my heart could not sink any deeper, his Oncologist informed us that the cancer metastasized from the left lung to the right lung, liver, adrenal glands, and lymph nodes. To make matters worse, he is currently suffering from pneumonia, which was being treated by antiobiotics until last night when Dad decided he had enough.
At this time, we are waiting to be discharged and are heading home, where he will have at home Hospice Care. All Dad wants now is to be home with his puppy.
I would not wish this pain on anyone. It’s that aching sadness in the pit of your stomach that simply won’t go away. One thing that I have learned through this nightmare is there is nothing more important and valuable than health, happiness, and your loved ones... NOTHING.
If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting my Dad, you know he is a POPULAR guy around town... to say the least. I mean who else do you know that gets at least 10 beeps or waves every time he’s driving down the road? He has been a Wells native his entire life and I know how proud he is of that. He always joked “this is my town.” He is a simple man, who doesn’t need much to be happy. He would truly do ANYTHING for anyone that needed it, and boy is he a man of many talents! He’s the go-to guy when anyone needs some mechanical advice, (or in my case, just some plain old life advice.) At times, he can be a stern smart ass who’s stubborn as hell, but we all love him for it.
One thing I do know for certain is that my Dad is my best friend, and the thought of losing him is something I’m not sure I will ever come to terms with. Our daily chats got me through my good days and bad days, truly making me look forward to getting in the car so I could hear his laugh. We have a special bond that can never ever be replaced.
While the predicted timeline is uncertain, we do know the prognosis is grim and we don’t have much time. As a result, despite the sorrow and mental anguish my family and I are experiencing, we want nothing more than to carry out his last wishes.
In true ***BIG DAVE FASHION***, when the time comes, we will be throwing him a CELEBRATION OF LIFE, and I want each and every one of you to be apart of it A contribution of food, donation or even your time, is MUCH appreciated and will not go unnoticed. This gathering will be the most joyous occasion for the best father/brother/uncle/friend in the world, and a celebration of his wonderful, full life!
!!!! If you have a fond memory or story that you would like to share about my Dad, please do!! I speak for my entire family when I say that nothing would make us happier than to hear about your favorite memory of my Dad! At this point, all that matters is that he is as comfortable as possible, and he knows how much we absolutely LOVE HIM! My heart aches knowing that he won’t be here to see so many momentous life events. I truly cannot imagine a world without my Dad in it Please help us make him comfortable and assure that his wishes are fulfilled. Let’s give him the celebration he deserves!
(If anyone has any photos or songs that you’d like included in the slideshow I’m putting together please message them to me ASAP!)
Please share this on your page to spread the word‼️ We are trying to contact and reach out to everyone we can think of, but like I said, Dad is a POPULAR guy! For that reason, if you can think of anyone that we didn’t please let me know! From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for the encouraging words, support, and love we have received. Right now, let’s come together and show Big Dave all the love that we have to offer!
If anyone would like to visit my Dad at home, please contact my brother or I to set up an appropriate time to visit. You can message me here or call me anytime at 207.641.9311
Stay tuned— I will update you as I know more.
****CONTINUTED PRAYERS FOR PEACE AND COMFORT ARE APPRECIATED****
Kind regards,
Lexus
Hi everyone,
After talking with the family, we agreed that it’s appropriate for me to give an update to everyone on the status of my sweet sweet Dad, aka BIG DAVE.
As many of you know, my Dad has been through hell and back these past few years. His health began to decline in 2015, when he underwent a triple-bypass. With barely any time to recover, he was diagnosed with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma last December. The doctors removed 1/3 of his left lung hoping to remove all of the cancerous cells. Although the procedure was successful, the doctors warned us of the high probability that the cancer may return. In response, my Dad opted to try chemotherapy. As most of you know, chemotherapy is the devils drug. And so, not surprisingly, one round of it nearly killed him in his fragile state. At that point, he made the very difficult and heartbreaking decision to discontinue the chemotherapy treatments.
Unfortunately, my Dad experienced signs and symptoms that the cancer was back many months ago; however, knowing him, he did not want to make a fuss or worry my family and I. As a result, we were completely unaware of the severity. My father has always protected my brother and I, which is why I believe he chose to keep this secret from us for so long. In any event, just last week I received a phone call that no child should ever have to—the dreaded phone call that he was sick again. This time, things progressed rapidly. My Dad lost a significant amount of weight in a very short period of time. He completely lost his appetite, experienced exhaustion, loss of hearing, and pain in his chest, abdomen, and esophagus. He also had trouble swallowing because of the discomfort in his throat. Even more concerning was his mental state. He seemed confused, had slurred speech, and other neurological side effects.
So, I rushed home to Maine to be by his side. Just when I thought my heart could not sink any deeper, his Oncologist informed us that the cancer metastasized from the left lung to the right lung, liver, adrenal glands, and lymph nodes. To make matters worse, he is currently suffering from pneumonia, which was being treated by antiobiotics until last night when Dad decided he had enough.
At this time, we are waiting to be discharged and are heading home, where he will have at home Hospice Care. All Dad wants now is to be home with his puppy.
I would not wish this pain on anyone. It’s that aching sadness in the pit of your stomach that simply won’t go away. One thing that I have learned through this nightmare is there is nothing more important and valuable than health, happiness, and your loved ones... NOTHING.
If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting my Dad, you know he is a POPULAR guy around town... to say the least. I mean who else do you know that gets at least 10 beeps or waves every time he’s driving down the road? He has been a Wells native his entire life and I know how proud he is of that. He always joked “this is my town.” He is a simple man, who doesn’t need much to be happy. He would truly do ANYTHING for anyone that needed it, and boy is he a man of many talents! He’s the go-to guy when anyone needs some mechanical advice, (or in my case, just some plain old life advice.) At times, he can be a stern smart ass who’s stubborn as hell, but we all love him for it.
One thing I do know for certain is that my Dad is my best friend, and the thought of losing him is something I’m not sure I will ever come to terms with. Our daily chats got me through my good days and bad days, truly making me look forward to getting in the car so I could hear his laugh. We have a special bond that can never ever be replaced.
While the predicted timeline is uncertain, we do know the prognosis is grim and we don’t have much time. As a result, despite the sorrow and mental anguish my family and I are experiencing, we want nothing more than to carry out his last wishes.
In true ***BIG DAVE FASHION***, when the time comes, we will be throwing him a CELEBRATION OF LIFE, and I want each and every one of you to be apart of it A contribution of food, donation or even your time, is MUCH appreciated and will not go unnoticed. This gathering will be the most joyous occasion for the best father/brother/uncle/friend in the world, and a celebration of his wonderful, full life!
!!!! If you have a fond memory or story that you would like to share about my Dad, please do!! I speak for my entire family when I say that nothing would make us happier than to hear about your favorite memory of my Dad! At this point, all that matters is that he is as comfortable as possible, and he knows how much we absolutely LOVE HIM! My heart aches knowing that he won’t be here to see so many momentous life events. I truly cannot imagine a world without my Dad in it Please help us make him comfortable and assure that his wishes are fulfilled. Let’s give him the celebration he deserves!
(If anyone has any photos or songs that you’d like included in the slideshow I’m putting together please message them to me ASAP!)
Please share this on your page to spread the word‼️ We are trying to contact and reach out to everyone we can think of, but like I said, Dad is a POPULAR guy! For that reason, if you can think of anyone that we didn’t please let me know! From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for the encouraging words, support, and love we have received. Right now, let’s come together and show Big Dave all the love that we have to offer!
If anyone would like to visit my Dad at home, please contact my brother or I to set up an appropriate time to visit. You can message me here or call me anytime at 207.641.9311
Stay tuned— I will update you as I know more.
****CONTINUTED PRAYERS FOR PEACE AND COMFORT ARE APPRECIATED****
Kind regards,
Lexus
Organizer
Lexus Hunter
Organizer
York, ME
